Yesterday my son and I spent a couple hours at Haven of the Ozarks. I'm really happy that he's found a cause that he believes in and wants to volunteer his time to help. We talked to dogs and walked some dogs and played with dogs and just loved on dogs. And then we hung out in the air conditioned cat room. :)

We both fell for Calypso and as I tried to paint her this morning, I realized something. It's a lot harder to paint a dog that you've met and already kinda fell in love with. There's much higher expectations and a need to capture the personality that we saw. So after four false starts trying to paint Calypso, I switched over and painted a dog that I've yet to meet.

This is Trixie. The Haven says she's a sweet girl who gets along with everyone. She's six years old and looking for a forever home/family.

And I'm at the halfway point of this Fursday project so I thought it'd be a great time to check in and see which of the Haven pups are still needing forever homes.

Some of the dogs that I've painted have been adopted but then returned. The Haven has a policy that all dogs must be returned to Haven of the Ozarks if they cannot remain with their adopter. This project has taught me a lot over the past six months and I've come to understand a little about why they choose to have that policy. It keeps their dogs safe. It's better to have dogs returned and know that they are safe and cared for rather than find that dog abandoned or on Craigslist. Unfortunately rescue groups have gotten accustomed to dealing with less than responsible pet owners and they are doing everything they can to keep dogs safe.

Along with helping dogs find forever homes, there's a lot to be done in educating owners about caring for and what it means to be a responsible pet owner. If you are up for the challenge, check out Brinkley, MayDay, Brussels, Dori, Dudley, Nell, Pittunia, Banksy, Sanjay, Trixie, and Calypso at Haven of the Ozarks Animal Sanctuary.